Previews

Frontlines: Fuel of War

Armies will fight for every inch of ground when the gas crisis makes it all go pear-shaped.

Spiffy:

Large-scale team battles; mixes up the gameplay with different roles to play.

Iffy:

Some may find it hard to get excited about another first-person shooter.

Call it jingoism, or call it a nostalgic look back at the golden years that were the Cold War, but it's quite popular these days to pit the glorious Western nations against those that would fly a red flag or march under a red star. In today's global climate, this has become an increasingly topical subject matter, with wars raging in the Middle East and the fear of rapidly growing global powers usurping the United States as leader of the free world. Thus, in a market absolutely flooded with first-person shooters, some of them incredibly good, Frontlines: Fuel of War runs with the zeitgeist, and by embracing this subject matter provides an unabashed breath of fresh air.

For one thing, it's set in a future that's altogether believable. The year is 2024, and it's not a world of flying cars but of soldiers utilizing technology that isn't too far removed from what we can see today on cutting-edge military specials. Radio-controlled cars and helicopter drones are utilized to scout enemy movements and even deliver lethal explosives. EMP technology is utilized to disrupt and disable enemy vehicles. Scouts on the ground can call in air strikes with incredible precision, though being too aggressive with your bombs can easily result in a premature trip to respawn territory.

More Blood for Oil

We recently had the opportunity to jump into a live multiplayer match with a host of merciless THQ testers who gleefully showed us all the weaponry you could bring to bear, though we often only caught a glimpse of the destruction before each respawn. Each player makes a trio of choices before hopping into combat, and these choices will end up defining their role on the frontlines.

Your first choice is your loadout, which determines what weapons you bring with you into the fray. The Assault class option is equipped with a rifle that's effective out to a considerable range and which can spray a torrent of bullets between reloads. An alternate fire option is available for launching grenades. The Heavy Assault class brings a larger weapon to bear but loses out on some of the mobility the Assault class enjoys. The Sniper class is self-explanatory, picking off enemies at long range with enhanced zooming options and more power behind single shots while being vulnerable to the Close Combat class, who can fill the screen with the cone of death that is the shotgun. The Anti-Vehicle class carries a rocket launcher or bazooka of sorts, which in a pinch can take out enemy soldiers if you can lead their circle-strafe. Lastly, the Special Ops class is all about the sub-machine gun, a mini-bullet hose that can ruin your day if you end up on the business end of it when rounding a corner.

Both factions have identical weapon choices here, though the weapons are cosmetically different and there seem to be some slight variations between the guns, with one shotgun having more of a pump-action feel than its counterpart, for instance.